Located north of the D940 road between Audinghen and Tardinghen you can see the remains of Wn175 Flamingo, a small site but one with a lot of firepower.
Positioned on top of the 58m high Mont Malassis the site has a commanding view towards Wissant and the long sandy beaches between the village and Cap Gris Nez.
Flamingo – many of the sites in this area are named after birds – was built between 1941 and 1942 and was an outpost for the larger observation, batterie, and radar stations on nearby Mount Plouvin and Mottelette.
It offered them a second line of defence from air and coastal attacks, should they come, and was equipped with both air and ground-targeting weapons.
Starting with a 7.5cm LAG field gun in an open concrete with a nearby gun garage to protect it, the site had evolved by 1944 to include Flamingo’s largest building, a R612 type casemate which can still be seen today, albeit in an overgrown state.
Nearby are the remains of an open position for a 2cm Flak 30 anti-aircraft gun which was later joined by a platform for a searchlight.
There was also a Tobruk bunker here – created for a tank turret armament – as well as an emplacement for a 5cm KwK anti-tank gun and four barracks for the troops stationed here. These structures are no longer visible.
Wn175 Flamingo stands on private agricultural land and cannot be accessed by the public without permission.